I have invented a new Word!! Skeptilism!! That is what I had before coming out here! Don´t get me wrong! I won´t completely become naive and believe everyone is trustworthy but I will wait a bit longer before thinking everyone is out to get you! It basically started on Monday. I was invited by this Costa Rican Old man to come and meet his family and stop over for coffee. I noticed they sold furniture so I thought yeah why not learn a bit more Spanish and see what they would sell me. After work on the Tuesday I go round fully prepared with my little pocket book dictionary and had practiced how to say sorry but I won´t be buying anything! I was welcomed with a FAT hug and smiley faces all around and a bathtub of coffee and several cakes. We chatted about the weather (what is it about the weather that is so universal that it is the perfect chit chat topic!!) I in my basic Spanish told them about Iceland and England. They couldn´t get their head around the fact I was working for free on a working holiday and they told me about their lives. As I was about to leave one of the ladies walks into this room and I swear I thought here comes the sales pitch but no how wrong was I! She came out with earrings and a home made coffee bean candle and gave to me! It was amazing. They have so much less than me and yet I left with home made earrings and a candle! They didn´t even once try and sell me a thing! And today their friend gave me a pen stand she had hand made for me since meeting me! It never stops! And the neighbor next house down has invited us for coffee as well! My faith in people has now been restored and I won´t be so quick to be skeptical! (Unless it´s business!! Haha J )
Since I last spoke to you all I have been to La Fortuna and done zip wiring, upside down and flying as superman through the jungle and seen the big Volcano, I have seen wild crocodiles, turtles, green little parrots, big massive red parrots, and massive butterflies, been to another beach and stayed awake!! I have got drunk with Emma, Louisa and Jack in the park and gone to the most random nightclub where I made friends with the only gay in the village (and OMG he was hot!) I couldn´t turn him! What a shame! J Been apart of an English class lesson and helped out, played snooker with Jack to try and cheer him up as his nan isn´t very well – sending fat love to his family! And been to a typical Costa Rican sweaty bar where we were served a dish of food with each drink!! And eaten with the host family whilst Emma and Jack went to the cinema proppa CR food (had to eat it with my fingers) and do a shot of tequila and costa rican vodka. So plenty of experiences in one week!
St Louie left this week and it has been so much quieter on the building site – We miss you Pizza girl! But there is a new girl from Oz joining us on Tuesday and I can´t wait! We also have journalists arriving from the Independent that same day to interview us about the job we are doing. Don´t worry Chris and Linda. I will wear my Garmin top and give you free publicity! J
The house is getting on. Everything handmade – still no machines other than a metal grinder, hammers, tweezers and shovels! The shape has taken place and we are starting on the walls on Monday. I was on my own at work today and it was so funny trying to speak to the builders but we put the radio on and danced and sang. Three little kids came and joined in! I then went on a little wonder on my own at lunch and the generosity of the Costa Rican people continued. I was spoken to by a new person every five minutes and given hugs and smiles on route. I returned to work after finding a whole new part to San Ramon armed with Ice coffee for the builders and allowed to go home early. I took the opportunity to walk a different way home. I got lost and found this awesome little street where the people were all out on the street having a little fiesta. I walked past a river and decided to walk along it. My fifth step in I heard a little snake slither away! I have never walked so fast in my life! But if that hadn´t have happened I wouldn´t have looked down and seen wild tomatoes growing! IT was the most bizarre thing to see! Tomatoes growing wild!! Everything we buy in Homebase grows wild here from cactus to peace lilies to tomato plants! It is amazing. I also so a yellow house with a yellow jeep parked outside and I considered knocking on the door and asking the guy who owned it to marry me!
It all made me appreciate this thing called life! I once heard there is no foreign land but only a foreigner. This is so true and I will now walk around my own country as a foreigner and without the arrogance that I know the place because I live there. It is so true the expression of wake up and smell the coffee! So many of us walk around half asleep we simply drink the coffee and don´t take a minute or two to smell the aromas and enjoy it. It is simply apart of the daily routine but I know for a fact if I was to make a bit more effort to look around me at home I would take far more enjoyment out of each day! I have learnt more about myself in three weeks than I have in the last ten years and it is a life worth living to the fullest and enjoying as a tourist wherever I go me thinks! J.
Pura Vida – hasta luego
Oddny
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